Must Be Dreaming
by Yamistar
Summary: "When I'm with you, I'm Kurama. And then somehow, a door shuts when you're gone, and I'm Suuichi again. I don't know who to be." AU, Kurama/Hiei, mention Yuusuke/Hiei.
1. Chapter 1

Title: Must Be Dreaming  
>Author: Yamistar<br>Rating: Overall, M. This chapter, T  
>Summary: Falling for straight men seems to be the rut Hiei has fallen into. He should know better, by now. Temptation, however, is difficult to avoid, especially when it's something naïve, innocent, and fragile. What's a lonely gay guy to do?<br>Notes: Kurama/Hiei, mentioned Yuusuke/Hiei, drug/alcohol use, yaoi. Nothing outrageous.  
>AN: Please, don't bother reading the other stories I've written (unless you want to read crapruin your impression of my abilities). I wrote them in HS and I leave them on the internet for people who have favorited them.  
>Disclaimer: I don't own Yu Yu Hakusho or its characters, no profit was made from this story.<p>

The house before them vibrated as the bass of the music struggled to escape. Before they even walked in, Hiei knew he would probably leave with a headache.

"Remind me again how I let you drag me here?"

"Hey!" Yuusuke snapped back, finger jabbing uselessly at the doorbell. "You were the one who told me you wanted to party with people my age. If you're gonna bitch about it—"

Hiei huffed and smacked Yuusuke's hand away from the buzzer. "Whatever, just open the door. Nobody can hear you ringing the bell to death."

The music that gushed through the door as Hiei opened it overwhelmed them both, and whatever retaliation Yuusuke had uttered was lost. Yuusuke followed his younger counterpart inside, barely remembering to shut the door behind them. A sea of people chattered in condensed groups all around the living room. The islands of people spread all the way to the back of the house, where Hiei guessed the back door was. He would make a quick escape through there, if needed. Hiei quickly scanned the flashing faces of the men and women closest to him, but he failed to recognize anyone. Evidently, Yuusuke brought him to a party of strangers. Again.

Hiei whipped around to voice his irritation, but Yuusuke had already sailed into the social ocean. The shorter man grumbled and began making his way to an unoccupied area of the living room. Other people Yuusuke's age, thirty-somethings, kept drunkenly bumping into him, shortening Hiei's already short fuse. Finally, Hiei shoved his way into open space and hip checked a table in the process.

"Fuck, damnit! At least it wasn't the baby toe," Hiei cursed while rubbing his abused side. He leaned with his hands onto the table just in time for someone to knock into him, forcing him to bend over or smack the wood again. A lithe body pressed snuggly against his rear and back while hands slammed into the wall above his head. The pressure let up almost instantly, however, so instead of resorting to physical violence, Hiei glared over his shoulder at whoever invaded his personal space.

"Oh wow, I'm really sorry about that," the offender quickly apologized. "I didn't step on you, did I?"

Hiei came eye to eye with an anomaly. The visual kei style still thrived in some parts of the city, but the shock of vibrant, burgundy hair gave him pause. Because twisting his head around to eye the man was impractical, Hiei turned around to get a better look. The other man stepped further away and tried to run a nervous hand through his hair, but was unsuccessful, because it was pulled back. He wore expensive designer clothing that complimented his figure nicely. Hiei recognized a few of the brands as ones Yuusuke secretly wanted to own—if only for the sake of impressing his girlfriend.

"I'm really sorry about that. It's very crowded in here," the young man yelled while looking around the room. He cautiously looked back at Hiei and asked, "I didn't hurt you, did I?"

Hiei shook his head and leaned back onto the table with the support of his hands. The stranger nodded back and moved to stand beside him. Hiei smirked cockily to himself when he caught the redhead's eyes flick to him more than a few times. Rather than stand there stoically and give the man the wrong impression, Hiei threw caution to the wind and attempted some flirty small talk. If only Yuusuke could have witnessed it.

"So, this kind of crowd doesn't seem your type. What brings you to one of Beautiful Suzuki's parties?"

Hiei expected the other guy to maintain his closed expression, but the redhead's smirk matched Hiei's as he said, "My closest friend insinuated that I was living the life of a hermit and told me to meet him here. I'm not surprised, however, that I cannot find him amongst the jungle." The man gestured lazily with his hand towards the writhing mass. "I was trying to find a space where I wouldn't be groped or humped, which is about the time I ran into you."

The tall stranger crossed his arms and stared at Hiei for a while, waiting patiently for an explanation of why _he_ was there.

"I party with my long time childhood friend, and he ditched me once we got inside. I was looking for some space, too," Hiei replied with a shrug. Yuusuke would beg for an apology later, and Hiei would make him earn it, after a little cold shouldering.

"I'm Hiei, by the way. You are?"

The smile on the redhead's face fell a little and he stalled for time, tripping over, "I'm uh…. Well…."

Hiei sighed irritably, hating to be deceived, and pushed himself away from the table. He crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow at the man while waiting for him to come up with something to say. An embroidered brand label in silver thread caught Hiei's eye. He recognized it as cross-dressing-fashionista Youko Kurama's trademark. It gave him an idea.

"Since you've obviously forgotten your name, why don't I just call you Kurama?"

The stranger stopped scrambling and furrowed his brow in confusion for just a moment before he looked down at the breast of his shirt.

" I'm surprised you recognized his mark. Do you like his designs?"

Containing his laughter, Hiei put on his poker face as he replied, "No, I hate him. He's a fag."

Kurama looked confused again and shrank back a bit before Hiei burst out laughing. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. I just wanted to see your face when I said it. I've got nothing against him," the shorter man chuckled out with a roll of his eyes. "I'm gay, anyway, so it's ok for me to say fag. Don't freak out."

"So, you being gay makes it alright?"

"Pretty much."

The warm smile returned to Kurama's face and he shrugged. "Who am I to argue with logic like that?"

"No one, that's who," Hiei yelled when the music suddenly became unbearably loud. "Wanna go out back? So that way we don't have to yell at each other?"

Hiei did not wait for a reply and grabbed one of Kurama's hands. He dragged them through the mess, pushing people out of their way. He'd never been to Suzuki's house before, so he hoped the backyard was in the direction he was going.

_Pretty interesting guy so far_, Hiei thought with a glance over his shoulder. _I could probably get a phone number out of him if I wanted._

The sliding door to the backyard was wide open, and the crisp spring air greeted them with only a murmur of quiet voices. Still, Hiei could feel the beat from the house in his chest, and a headache knocked persistently on his door. He'd find Yuusuke eventually and demand to leave, but not before taking up as much of Kurama's time as he could.

Arranging themselves away from anyone else, Hiei pocketed his hands and began again, "So, where were we? Oh yea, you wouldn't tell me your name…"

"I'm sorry, Hiei, I didn't mean anything by it. It's just—"

"Yea, I know. You're a popular guy and you have a reputation to uphold. Who knows what kinds of rumors would spread if your fan club knew you were at a flamboyant hairdresser's house party?"

Kurama's chuckle was sweet and Hiei savored it. "I don't know, I'd probably have to move to another city. They'd have a field day."

"Hmm, sounds like a pack of wild animals. Aren't you a little old to still have a fan club?"

"It was you who suggested I had one," Kurama teased back. "Maybe I'm going along with your fantasy?"

Hiei raised an eyebrow again and asked, "How old are you?"

Kurama shook his head and replied, "You first."

"22."

"34," Kurama said while flicking a bug away from him.

"Hah, you're older than my friend. That's something I can hold over his head before I forgive him for ditching me!"

"How old is your friend?"

"32. When I said "childhood friend" I meant _me_ still being a child when we met. Yuusuke lived next door when my family moved here. He was the only other kid around," Hiei finished with a shrug. No need to dictate his life's story.

Hiei's cell phone chose that moment to vibrate in his pocket. He removed the excited device and flipped it open to see a message from said friend. Yuusuke was looking for him, ready to leave. Not much time had passed, so Yuusuke probably exchanged too many insults with another patron, Hiei was sure.

"Your friend?"

Hiei nodded and slid the phone back in his pocket. "Yea, he's looking for me. So, I guess this is goodbye." _Crap, never got around to getting that number. Oh well, he'd probably give me a fake one, anyway_, Hiei thought without malice as he made his way to the side of the house. There was no way he would struggle through the crowd. He and Yuusuke would rendezvous in the front.

The short man did not get very far before he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. "Hiei, wait, I feel bad about withholding my name. I didn't know if you'd recognize it when we first met, but it doesn't matter, now."

Hiei would always remember how Kurama's intense, emerald eyes reflected the lights from Suzuki's house. They gleamed with genuine remorse, but Hiei was quick to reassure the other man. "I teased you about it too much. It's fine, really, you have your reasons. Besides," Hiei pulled out of the elder's reach, "what's in a name?" Stepping into the gray shadows adjacent the house—he was gone.


	2. Chapter 2

A/n: In the six years I've not written, FFdotNet has changed how you reply to reviews… They want me to send PMs to reviewers, but that doesn't seem right, so I don't know what to do… But, thank you for reading, I wasn't expecting any interest. A lot of fics on here now a day have poorly written OCs and cookie cutter plots, so I wasn't expecting anyone to judge me differently. But, I'll stop whining and present chapter two~  
>Rating this chapter: T (language)<p>

—

"A common mistake customers make is they don't have the monitor plugged in. You can eliminate this being the possible problem at the beginning of the call by…"

Hiei tuned in and out of the professor's lecture on troubleshooting. He understood the curriculum needed to cover all the bases, but technical support was not his intended carrier. He wanted to work behind the scenes, building custom machines or upgrading hardware. That way, he avoided human interaction. The class was required, but uninteresting, so the student busied himself with counting the number of discolored ceiling tiles.

_Dear Yuusuke_, Hiei thought, _hurry up and message me so I have a viable excuse to walk out of here._

Hiei counted the dirty tiles twice before his phone cheerfully vibrated. Fishing it out, he read Yuusuke's message.

"Still mad?"

Hiei's cold shouldering started Friday night after the party and lasted all through the weekend.

"Probably," Hiei sent back.

"Skip class and I'll apologize with lunch?"

"Lunch and a movie."

Yuusuke delayed his reply, so Hiei gathered his things and slipped out of the lecture hall. No one noticed his disappearance.

The tech school Hiei attended sat across the street from a block of random shops: a crumbling bookstore, a pachinko bar, a tiny flower shop, and so on. Hiei knew Yuusuke would show up, and they would meet at their spot: the flower shop, owned by the Kuwabara family. Kazuma Kuwabara, the current owner, and Yuusuke were true childhood friends. Unfortunately, the three of them were not a trio, because Hiei disliked Kuwabara. Hiei's maiden of a sister insisted that Kuwabara was the perfect man for her, because of his "charm" and "teddy bear-like" qualities. To Hiei, the towering flower man was a squawking waste of life who did not deserve the affection of such a wonderful woman. Thankfully, Yukina was overseas visiting family.

The thought brought no comfort to Hiei, however, because he spotted Kuwabara chatting outside the shop with a customer. The oaf standing outside meant Hiei could not just loiter unnoticed until Yuusuke arrived. Contact was dreadfully unavoidable. The student tapped his foot as he waited for the cross light to change, but his focus concentrated on the customer Kuwabara conversed with. The light turned and Hiei stepped into the street, staring across the space as recognition drenched him in warm water. He blushed as he remembered the redhead from Suzuki's party on Friday. Having ignored Yuusuke all weekend, Kurama was a secret to Hiei, a secret he thought he would never gaze upon again.

Once the young man reached the other side of the road, he dashed into a narrow alley between the flower shop and pachinko bar. Hiei wanted nothing more than to approach Kurama and talk to him, but Kuwabara would ruin everything, so he settled for eavesdropping on their conversation. Hiei noticed Kurama dressed down for a public setting, wearing an evergreen colored sweater and khaki pants. His hair was left to dance in the wind, frequently tickling his face.

"Thank you so much, Suuichi. I know my sweet Yukina will love it! You'll stay for the party, right?" Kuwabara screeched as he reached out to grasp Kurama's free hand. From the distance, Hiei never noticed the digital camera the man held.

"It's not a problem, Kuwabara. We'll have it safely tucked away in your house by the time she returns to Japan. She's returning for her birthday, yes?" Hiei mentally ticked off the days. Yukina returned for her birthday—_their_ birthday—in a week.

"Yea, she's into crafty stuff like this. I can't wait to give it to her! She'll marry me for sure." Hiei's face twisted into a painful, ugly grimace as the word "marriage" flew from Kuwabara's lips. He avoided that particular conversation with his sister, if only to stave off his approval that Yukina so desperately sought.

"I'll call you tomorrow," Kurama replied as he bowed to leave. "I'll finish the last, little details tonight. We'll figure out the best way to transport it, and you can fill me in on there and when for Monday. " He waved over his shoulder as he walked down the street, thankfully in the opposite direction of Hiei's hideaway.

Once the man strolled out of view, Hiei abandoned his sneaking spot and stood beside Kuwabara.

"So!" Hiei began loudly, startling Kuwabara, "what'd you get my sister for her birthday?"

Kuwabara grimaced at Hiei and left the student by the road as he turned back to his shop. "None of your business, snoop. And don't come in my store! I don't need anything stolen this month."

Hiei scoffed at the store owner and retorted, "I don't steal anything, let alone flowers. Nothing worth stealing in your hole-in-the-wall, anyway."

He kicked the flower shop's door shut, silencing Kuwabara's yowls with a pleasant bang. The raven haired man gazed down the street where Kurama had walked, wondering what he made for Yukina. Two things interrupted his brooding, however. A rain drop splashed on his cheek, almost in his eye, and he heard someone call his name. He spotted Yuusuke sprinting to him from across the street.

Hiei barely kept his purchase on the pavement when Yuusuke slammed into him instead of stopping.

"The fuck?"

Yuusuke chuckled and wrapped his arms around the youngster. "Nothing, just happy to see you! And it's starting to rain!"

Yuusuke lifted Hiei in his arms and spun them around in a tight circle. The older man exploded in laughter as Hiei cursed while the drizzle continued. The student protested only to save face. In reality, his heart felt ready to burst at the overwhelming, buzzing feeling that was Yuusuke. The man's face was buried in his taunt belly, and in return, Hiei clutched onto Yuusuke's neck and hid his face in the smooth hair. The hair gel scratched his face, but the youth relished the earthy scent of his friend. Hiei allowed himself to get swept up in the moment until Yuusuke safely returned him to the earth.

Hiei roughly shoved his older friend away while cursing, "Idiot, get off me! You're buying me popcorn at the movies for this little stunt." He fleetingly wondered if Yuusuke caught a glimpse of his blush. His face felt hot against the drizzly mist. The thought was proved wrong, however, when the older man just chuckled and took off in the direction of the nearest train station.

"I spoil you too much, Hiei. Taking up all my cash, and I get nothing in return!," Yuusuke teased as he led the way.

Hiei followed at a respectable distance, hands in his pockets. His heart still drummed wildly after the close contact. He looked forward to spending time with Yuusuke in a dark theatre, even though he knew nothing would happen. He still entertained fantasies, however. Over the weekend, however, his fantasies involved someone other than Yuusuke. Hiei felt confused and conflicted over the sudden change in his heart. Yuusuke had been his sole desire ever since high school, so he felt uncertain about how to handle the new interest. Yuusuke was beyond his reach, he knew that, but he knew next to nothing about Kurama, whose real name was Suuichi, apparently. The mystery over Yukina's gift, crafted by the redhead, also added to his warring feelings. Hiei craved to know more but was forced to suffer in limbo.

"Are you ignoring me, again? What movie do you want to see?"

Hiei cast Yuusuke a blank glance from beneath his bang and shrugged. "As long as it doesn't have subtitles, I don't care." In his musing, the student neglected to notice they were almost at the station.

"I'm buying your train ticket, aren't I?" Yuusuke asked, his wallet in hand.

"Would I be staying with you if I had money?"

They walked down the steps into the station and the older man shrugged. "Good point. Your mom _still_ won't buy you a rail pass?"

Yuusuke lived two blocks away from the school and did not mind his constant presence. His mother's place, however, was on the other side of town. Aside from a part time job at a convenience mart, Hiei had little money to spare for anything but his cell phone bill and food.

"No, she's focusing on Yukina's… _relations_, at the moment," Hiei mumbled as they waited side-by-side for the train with their tickets. He had not paid attention to when Yuusuke bought the tickets.

"Yea, her and Kuwabara's wedding."

Hiei glared at Yuusuke and stomped his heal onto the other's foot. "I'd rather not talk about that. Let's focus on something else." He took the change in topic as an opportunity to gather information. "Yukina's having a party for her birthday, right?"

"Yea," the taller man replied with a wince, "next Monday, at Kuwabara's. You know you're goin', right? It's your birthday, too."

The train pulled up in front of them. They boarded once it stopped and its doors opened. Hiei led them to a pair of seats away from anyone else. "Thanks for reminding me, I'm the type of person to forget such _important_ things. Do you know what the fool got her?"

"Nope. Even if I did, I wouldn't tell you. Why do you try and ruin all the crappy, romantic things he does for her? Nothing you do will get between them."

Hiei shrugged nonchalantly and leaned against Yuusuke's shoulder. "You'd do the same if you had a sister, so don't judge."

"I would not. Kuwabara's a good guy. You'll see. The party starts at six. Come with me and I'll pay for your bus ticket out there."

Hiei tried to shield his eyes from the train lights, feeling suddenly sleepy, and nodded. He looked forward to his birthday, for once. Until Yuusuke mentioned the time, Kuwabara's invitation to Kurama slipped his mind. He wanted to go, if only to perhaps catch a glimpse of the mystery man. His brain imagined all the possible scenarios as he dozed in a light slumber.


	3. Chapter 3

A/n: I'm really glad everyone came back for chapter two. I am **CRAZY** sorry for this taking so long. I've been eaten by the Sherlock fandom and had attempts on my life from school work. I had about half of this chapter written, and then I fell off the face of the Earth. So, once again, I'm super sorry for holding you in suspense... But now, here's some more suspense!

Rating this chapter: K+

Dusk still darkened the skies early that time of year. Hiei hoped, although did not expect, Kuwabra lit the laps up the stairs to the house. The hundred or so stairs one climbed to reach the house was one of only a handful of negatives about converting an old temple into a more manageable, house-like space. Hiei would not have to rely on hope if Yuusuke had not delayed their departure.

The older man sat next to him, pleading for Hiei's attention. "You know how Keiko gets when we haven't seen each other in a while. Do you want her to beat on me?"

Hiei glanced at the pitiful looking flowers Yuusuke clutched. He did indeed know how she reacted to a prolonged separation. Arriving late to his sister's party, however, was not a decent trade-off for Yuusuke's wellbeing, seeing as how the man would ignore him once they arrived. Hiei befriending Yuusuke had the unfortunate side effect of Yukina becoming close to Keiko and the other girls. His opinion of Keiko and her friends, minus Kuwabara's older sister, was frigid at best.

The bus eased to a halt at their stop. Once they departed, the vehicle lumbered away into the darkness. Little lamps glowed in the dusk, sprinkling the steps with twinkling light as they approached the bottom. Hiei started angrily on the stairs, taking two at a time. Seeing the steps reminded him that once they crossed the threshold of the house, Yuusuke would abandon him for Keiko's side all night. He would also be unwelcomed at the apartment tonight, leaving him with a dilemma.

Hiei followed the soft light all the way to the top, debating on what to say. He wanted to enjoy the party without awkward looks or conversation from Yuusuke. Hiei also did not want to be asked to stay away so that Yuusuke and Keiko could be alone. He desperately wanted to maintain a sense of control in the twisted relationship, to make it appear as though he made all the decisions. Hiei needed to make a good show of being mad, in order to avoid a kiss and make up attempt tonight. If Kurama showed up to the party, Hiei wanted zero distractions. Knowing his luck, Yuusuke might peal himself from Keiko's side to touch base with him and give the redhead the wrong impression.

Hiei kicked off his shoes in the entry way and stepped up into the temple, Yuusuke right behind him. Deeper inside, he heard girls squealing and Kuwabara's unmistakable yowl. He wanted to greet his sister and then tuck away either in a corner or with a group of friends. Touya, friends-with-benefits buddy, and his crowd were soft on Yukina, so he knew they were there.

Weaving his way through to the dim, main corridor, Hiei slid the door open an inch to peek at the large, main room of the complex. The party was set up there, pillows strewn across the floor for sitting and paper plates with cake everywhere. They arrived well past Yukina opening her gifts, which frustrated him. He wanted to see what Kurama had made for her.

"We gonna go in sometime tonight?"

Hiei sighed while shutting the door. He turned around with a scowl on his face, ready to perform. "Have fun tonight, with your girlfriend." He sneered at the last part while trying to keep his voice neutral. He wanted Yuusuke to hurt for this.

The man's face flashed an uncertain grin and he waved the hands holding the flowers randomly. "Yea, sure. Hopefully Shizuru 'n Botan boozed her to the point where she won't whine that we're late."

_She loves you. That's why she whines,_ Hiei thought begrudgingly.

"Great. I'm not coming back, so make use of the condoms in my duffle."

Yuuuske tried to make eye contact, but Hiei avoided it. "You stayin' here tonight, I guess?"

Hiei shrugged and turned back to open the door for them. "Doesn't really matter where, can't go back with you, anyway."

It hurt to admit his isolation and undesirable position, but Hiei congratulated himself on another flawless presentation of the front he put up. It terrified him to consider how Yuusuke would react to his feelings. Best bury them in a box no one would ever find, maybe brush the dust off the box when nostalgia was too great a temptation. He took a deep breath, ignoring the call of his name, and stepped into the light.

He caught his sister's eye instantly and made a getaway straight for her. She enveloped him in a tight hug which calmed him considerably. He felt pleased to note the lack of alcohol on her breath.

"Happy birthday, brother. Mother sends her love," Yukina spoke softly as they pulled away, her cooing voice sounded misplaced amongst the din of the room.

"I'm sure she does," he replied in gravelly tones. "Happy birthday to you, too. Did I miss anything interesting?" He squashed the desire to directly ask her about Kuwabara's gift.

Hiei half listened when Yukina brushed over his question and began recounting her familial visit. His eyes wandered around the room, allotting each person a decent amount of time of his scrutiny. Touya and his boyfriend Jin were situated in a semi-circle along with their friends Chu and Rinku. He would join them once his sister returned to her party. No sign of his redhead, though.

_He said he was a hermit,_ Hiei thought. _It's almost nine, he probably went home already._

"Glad you had a good time," he commented neutrally once Yukina finished.

Turning his attention back to the conversation, Hiei instantly noticed his sister's look of nervousness. She wanted to ask him something, he could tell, but was afraid to do so.

"What is it?"

She hesitated for a moment before uttering quietly, "Do you have a place to stay tonight?"

He felt a frown attempt to break out on his face, but he stopped it and forced a small smile instead. "Yea, I've got it all figured out. No problem." He did not, in fact, have a place to stay right then. Of course, Yukina did not need to know that.

Over his sister's head, Hiei could see Keiko—Yuusuke sandwiched between her and Shizuru—and Botan staring at them, waiting. He sighed and stepped away from Yukina.

"Go," he jerked his head in the direction of the gossip circle. "Enjoy the rest of tonight. I'll be around."

Yukina flashed him a quick smile before she hugged him and dashed to reassume her spot amongst the group. The thought never occurred to him, but Hiei realized he had not yet seen Kuwabara. He heard Kuwabara earlier, and he expected to see the shop owner glued to his sister's side. However, the man was strangely absent. The student shrugged and made his way over to his high school friends' corner. What did he care if the oaf was not throwing himself all over Yukina? At least a fight would not break out.

Touya caught sight of his approach first and rose to greet him.

"It's been too long," Touya rumbled they hugged. He placed a quick, chaste kiss on Hiei's lips before they pulled away.

Hiei hummed in reply and sat down with his friend, sparing a nod to the others when they acknowledged him. "Just been busy, that's all."

On Touya's other side, Jin laughed and bent over his boyfriend's crossed legs to see Hiei. "Don't tell us that, we know you better than you think."

He smirked at the redhead and quickly reached over to ruffle Jin's hair. Before Jin retaliated, Hiei returned to his respective side of the Touya-divide.

"You go ahead and keep believing that. I've just been—"

Movement from one of the sliding doors opening caught Hiei's attention. He paused for a second and watched, time slowing down to a crawl, as Kuwabara re-entered the room. He looked concerned but remained silent while he padded over to Yukina.

"—preoccupied," Hiei finished, monitoring the gossip circle out of his peripheral.

Touya's eyes flashed to Kuwabara and Yukina. "Looks like it. How's school, by the way?"

Hiei shrugged again, but silently thanked Touya for circumventing the awkward conversation he did not feel like having.

It was later in the evening, much later, when Hiei remembered his lack of sleeping situation. He meant to ask Touya about coming over, but he and Jin had already left. The party was in the process of winding down. Basically, he had no options left that would leave his pride intact.

_A cigarette would be really nice right about now, _he thought while wandering out of the main room and onto the wraparound porch.

Hiei leaned heavily against the wood railing and stared out over the moonlit grounds. He kept loneliness at arm's length by clearing his mind and listening to the world around him. The wind held its breath that night, and the forest beyond stood hushed. So when the door behind him opened with a thump, he only startled a little.

"Yukina said you might be out here."


End file.
